I did have Deathrite Shaman in here before Rakdos Cackler , but I found him underwhelming, mostly because of the lack of instants and sorceries to use as fodder and the fact that when I could have been exiling things, I was tapping out to cast Vampire Nighthawk or Phyrexian Obliterator . Although if I do add the Thoughtseize s/Inquisition of Kozilek s in, there might be enough of a reason to bring him back.

I also want to point out the Cackler avoids -1/-1 sweepers too. 95 times out of 100 I'll have him Unleashed.

I know exactly how well Deathrite does with fetches and in a G/B shell. What I do't know is how badly the splash would affect the main win condition- black devotion for Gary. Yes, all my lands would be able to produce black mana, and it would tremendously increase the playability of Deathrite, but I'm not sure I want to make those changes. If I switch my removal spells to Abrupt Decay and Maelstrom Pulse , then I am relying on the Overgrown Tomb s to be able to be used, and the fetches to find them (not to mention that the three Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth s I'd need cost less than or around one fetch). Blood Moon would screw me, pro green would screw me, and I'm sure many other things would too.

These are just my thoughts and worries. I know they might not all be viable, but it's just what I think I need to be wary of.

One last thing: one thing that Hero's Downfall can hit that Abrupt Decay can't- Karn Liberated . Just wanted to point that out. :)

Abrupt Decay isn't the replacement for Hero's Downfall , Maelstrom Pulse is, which can hit Karn Liberated .

Also a lot of your "worries" are just that ..only worries.

For example, think about what cards you'll be replacing (instants and sorcerer) that don't effect your devotion at all.

Next (I assume) you were running DRS without fetches, but trying to ping for damage in the early rounds. Ideally that was user error on your part. You should be mana ramping during the first few rounds to get your threats into action, then after a few fetches have been spent to mana ramp and get you your ideal mana setup for your deck to function then you start pinging for damage. (typically by round 3 or so there is a bit of a graveyard build up)

You could also run 1x Snow-Covered Forest and think about it. It'll save you when you catch a Path of Exile from being mana screwed and since you're running 3x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth it'll turn that Forest into a Bayou for free. (and your fetches to swamps)

(please note I'm pretty sure Blood Moon overwrites Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth but 1 basic forest and 1 basic swamp = Abrupt Decay = no more Blood Moon )

try it out, put your cards into this shell. adjust as needed, and then play test it to see how u like it.

Thanks for the link man, I'll try it out soon. :)

Why is the mercant Gary Oak? Makes no sense to me.

Because Gray Merchant is also called Gary, and the Gary I know best is Gary Oak. But also because they both like assembling strong lineups to win.

Essence Harvest is good. Dying Wish is better if u run Desecration Demon Lashwrithe or Korlash, Heir to Blackblade . So is Rite of Consumption Best options you have though are Corrupt or Profane Command in place of Exsanguinate

Imagine a T7 Profane Command u could return Gary retriggering his ETB, as well as use the first ability. That's an insane 2-1.

Well, I playtested both builds, this one and the G/B version I made with APPLE01DOJ's shell, and the results very pretty much 50/50. At first, one deck was always mana screwed, but as the playtesting continued, one deck would win one game, the second deck the next, then the first again, etc. Back and forth, back and forth. So I'm going to leave you all with newer deck in hopes you can shed some light on the subject.

deck-large: Gary Motherf*cking Oak Journeys to Modern G/B

well play testing the two decks against each other is a good way to see how the various builds flow while going about accomplishing the same task, but the best way to see the decks improvements is to play test against other decks. do 2 out 3 vs some other deck on this site of an established archtype, perferably outside of golgari/mono black. then use the new build against that same deck 2 out of 3. play testing against each other all day should help u tweak both versions better but u have to take on outside sources to see the differences.

What creatures are so important that you shut down your own Gary for them?

Snapcaster Mage , Pestermite , Vendilion Clique , Flickerwisp , Kitchen Finks , Murderous Redcap , Soul Sisters, Deceiver Exarch , Clone effects, and other ETB shenanigans. And of course, other Gray Merchant of Asphodel s.

ok so I'm not the biggest modern player, but why Marsh Flats over, say, Woodland Cemetery ? I can't see the cemetery coming in tapped unless it's your first land (the only land that doesn't trigger it is your nykthos), and I can't see the Marsh Flats doing anything more than getting you an Overgrown Tomb

Fetch lands net me mana with Deathrite Shaman . It's a quick ramp that lets me use Vampire Nighthawk , Phyrexian Arena , or Maelstrom Pulse turn 2.

ah, that makes sense then. hadn't thought about with the shaman

Geralf's Messenger is a great devotional tool.

Had it before, but it didn't do much. Too slow since it comes into play tapped. I much prefer Vampire Nighthawk .

How come Liliana of the Veil isn't MB? I'm not sure y ur running 3x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth when u r only running 3 colorless, of which those 3 colorless are only temporarily coloreless. If u r running 3, u should probably take advantage and add in some Land Destruction such as Tectonic Edge and Encroaching Wastes . I wouldn't run Ghost Quarter unless u were also running an advantages reason like Shadow of Doubt (SB!!!) or Crucible of Worlds

I know, right? I must be the only guy playing black that doesn't mainboard Lili, lol. Basically because I don't think I desperately need her in the mainboard. If I need more pressure or if something is underperforming in a particular matchup, yeah, she'll go in.

I'm a bit hesitant about adding more colorless to the deck because it's a bitch when I draw Nykthos and don't end up getting Urborg. Maybe though, cause Tron is annoying as hell.

Are you trying to subtly tell me something about Shadow of Doubt ? :)

Yea, it would great on your sideboard. Helps with things like tron, any deck running fetches, pod, tutors. and u draw a card. 2 copies should be good.

Well, personally I would only run 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx as 1 is all u ever want in any game. It's too slow of a ramp for modern to be honest. DRS and Fetches is as fast as it gets for black. I would also run only 2x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth at most.

For what it's worth, the name got a chuckle out of me. Thanks!

Gnat Miser isnt a great replacement and there is always Inquisition of Kozilek . you could also add Liliana of the Veil

Lili's in my sideboard (WHICH HAS SOMEHOW DISAPPEARED AND I DON'T KNOW WHY!!), and I'd rather have a 1-drop creature than a discard spell because Gray Merchant like permanents more.

ok well i said liliana because your sideboard is invisible to me. And i still think gnat miser is a dead card

It's at least useful in the early game and against control decks that like to draw cards. Plus his ability is really just an annoyance, so nobody's going to waste a kill spell on him.

I Am DarkSeid! Over all I like the Deck and Deck Name :D